"Suddenly British Airways looks tempting" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 9 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | I Ramsahoye |
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I have been flying to St Lucia with Virgin since they introduced the service there and flew there last August
(2014) for my annual holiday. I was shocked to see that instead of a 747 they had replaced the usual aircraft with
an Airbus 330 with twice as many beds in upper class. It was a miserable experience as the flatbed was akin to
being in a coffin and the staff were the same in number as on a 747. I felt robbed. I got no sleep on the way out
or back as the close confinement of everyone including an exceptionally large number of small children in super
hero pyjamas made rest impossible. Had I known or been told at the time of booking that the aircraft had been
changed I would have saved a thousand pounds and flown premium. It was an experience which I will not repeat.
Suddenly British Airways looks tempting. Virgin need to understand that packing 'em in and selling 'em for far
more than the trip is worth will mean that they lose loyal repeat custom. Space may be the final frontier, but
the Atlantic is closer to home and their customer base. They are flying the same aircraft this year. I will not be
going with them. It is also over a grand more expensive than last year for travel in August.
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"I will never fly on this plane again" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 9 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | Brian Hedley |
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Flying back from Barbados in Upper Class the seat was the worst I have sat in for business class! It was narrow,
no arm rest on left side and small armrest on right side, difficult to get the table out of its slot, seat does
not recline very far due to the design of changing the seat into a bed. When the bed was made there is almost no
room for your head and I could not sleep in this position neither on my side or on my back (not wide enough), I
asked the crew to put it back into a se9at and managed to get a little sleep. The bar is a laugh, the 3 seats are
so uncomfortable I went back to my seat, no room on the bar as the crew were filling up small cups with crisps and
the bartender was making drinks from a list a crew member gave him, which took up more of the bar. There was
little room to move about when 2 crew members coming and going with drink trays. It said on the food menu that you
could dine at the bar with a friend? There is hardly enough room to put drinks on the bar never mind plates of
food! 33 seats made the aisle so narrow it is difficult for people to pass without moving into someone's seat
area. There is no privacy. Clearly Virgin is maximising cash return without thinking about their clients, I will
never fly on this plane again!
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"I will not fly Virgin Atlantic business class again" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 7 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | I Kleber |
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Flew VA Airbus A330 in Upper Class from JFK to LHR. The Virgin Atlantic experience started great in JFK lounge
which has good amenities and funky decor. But the fun was over when I got into the herringbone arranged seat on
the plane. The upper class cabin is packed like sardines, seats are cramped, privacy is minimal, there is no room
for personal items at all, and as others mentioned the ergonomics of tiny behind your head tray for drinks and
screen that is impossible to watch while eating are just hard to explain. I didn't lay down flat on the seat as
this was a day flight but observed the strange experience of others working with cabin crew to put the seat into
flat position. Very bizarre in this day and age and I'm shocked how such a design passed mustard unless the only
driving factor is maximizing every square inch of the upper class cabin for the airline. On more positive note
the crew provided good service and the food was ok. I will not fly Virgin Atlantic business class again and will
go with more "standard" business class configurations.
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"Upper Class is a great example of how to get it wrong" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 6 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | P Angell |
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My first and last time flying in these torture devices. Narrow, cramped and awful coupled with the constant crew
chatter, crockery and cutlery clattering and you can just about get the idea an awful experience both to LHR and
back to DXB. Impossible to lie on your side as you have the partition basically flush up against your back. bend
you leg and your 'under leg' foot hangs out in the aisle and gets knocked by any passer by. Lie on your other side
and its slightly better but your lower arm loses blood circulation. The area where you head goes is not even
shaped to fit a human head! Never again! If you are going to make a premium product, you need to do it properly.
Upper Class is a great example of how to get it wrong. Very wrong.
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"I couldn't even look out the window if I wanted" |
Aircraft: | Boeing 747-400 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 6 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | Scott Dainton |
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I am a frequent business traveler and this was my first time on Virgin in more than 15 years. It was just the
seat and video that made this journey no fun at all (service was fantastic and lounge divine). A seat that you
could not figure out how to manipulate (I couldn't even see the seat button down near my feet until it was pointed
out to me); a seat that was too narrow (and I'm pretty skinny!); a seat that could only be manipulated by asking
the staff to 'put it together for you'(!); a seat that didn't allow you to sit yourself up when you wanted to come
up, no lamp overhead, the video was incredible clumsy to operate and sitting 'on the diagonal' was odd. I did not
like that I couldn't even look out the window if I wanted given the configuration.
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"It should be renamed the sardine suite" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 6 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | John Freeman |
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I have been flying Virgin Upper Class 3 or 4 times a year since 1992. I have always admired their innovative,
airline industry kick ass approach and strong customer focus. But something's happened in the last few years. I
continue to read about and experience sub-optimal attention to customer needs in their premium cabin. I contrast
my experience on other airlines who know who their frequent fliers are, who stay in touch with them and who know
when they are flying. The comparison with Virgin these days is that at best you're greeted with a "have you flown
with us before ?" Soon I'll start saying no in the hope that they may pay closer attention to better service.
But my chief gripe has to be the new upper class suite. It should be renamed the sardine suite as it packs so many
neatly arranged bodies into a small metal container. The seating density could only be increased any further by
stacking passengers on top of each other. It is less spacious, less private and less comfortable than the
preceding upper class suite. To make matters worse they have provided a thin sheet of perspex between seats to
remind you that there is somebody crammed up against you. Come on Virgin, stop this nonsense and get back to your
roots.
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"Old and dated and in need of refurbishment" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 6 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | D Corbett |
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Flew out on old style plane to JFK. Old and dated and in need of refurbishment. Returned on refurbished plane 4
January from JFK. So very disappointing. Would not fly upper again until they fix things. Will be returning to BA
business class. Seat storage dreadful. Once you put something inside the compartment you can't get it out. Seat
flat so uncomfortable, hot and claustrophobic; really very unpleasant experience. Crammed in obviously to make
more money and unable to look out of the window. Aisle so close together you get constantly bumped. Limited
overhead storage. And the privacy glass might as well not be there. Lounge facilities excellent staff, food etc
brilliant.
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"whoever designed this seat should be fired" |
Aircraft: | Airbus A330 |
Seat Type: | Business Class |
| Date: | 6 January 2015 |
Reviewer: | A Vermes |
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A330 LHR-DEL. The pictures on the Virgin website look nice, but the seat is no good for anyone over 6 foot tall.
The claimed flat bed length of 79 inches is misleading in the extreme. The measurement ignores the fact that the
"bed" narrows to 6 inches at the foot end, and is very cramped at the head end. You will be fine if you're short,
but uncomfortable if you're tall. Other claimed innovations are a joke. The flip down armrest is on one side only;
have you ever sat in a chair with just one armrest? Storage around the seat is non existent, and the overhead bins
small on the A330. Cabin crew are good and attentive, but whoever designed this seat should be fired.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A340-600 |
Date | 30 December 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | A Ingram |
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The herringbone configuration is standard nowwith them and I find it very comfortable. It turned over to a flat bed with ease and the adjustments in the seat
all worked. The service good on the way there and back. The food is good and was available at any time.
The negative point I could give is the seat adjustment didnt go far back enough for me. I am an average sized person in weight and height and found the
seat to be perfect for my frame.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 23 October 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Mary Bentley |
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The new Upper Class seat on the A330 is very disappointing. No armrests, no where to put any belongings or rest a
glass or cup & saucer. The Pod is very narrow, also when laid flat your head is lower than your body so no comfort
there. The seat has little adjustment and the pillows are too big to be of use there. Tried to use the monitor for
games it was very slow and would not respond to finger touch. Amenity Kit is a joke - a grey felt pencil case -
most were left unopened! I have always been a fan of Virgin Atlantic and am a Member of The Flying Club however it
could be it is time for a change.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : BOEING 747-400 |
Date | 5 October 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | R Parsons |
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We flew the A330 LHR to Newark and had middle aisle seats. I thought the width fine however when the seat
was fully flat, I couldn't stretch my kegs out fully (I'm 6ft 3in). On the return we were on the 747 and
had seats 1a and 1k on the upper deck. The seats are longer on the upper deck than downstairs. For me it
was great to sleep as I could stretch out fully when I wanted to. Some people make a fuss about having 5
rows of economy passengers upstairs with you, but it isn't that big of a deal. When disembarking you won't
get priority as upper class does but we were on the night flight back from JFK and I don't really think
it's such an issue when you've finished your trip. If you're taking the night flight and you want a good
sleep, choose the upper deck. There's only 10 seats in the upper deck business class cabin so it feels
quite exclusive!
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 7 August 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | B Vandeuren |
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I have never seen such appalling chairs and on a flight from London to Los Angeles, spending over 10 hours
in those cramped, claustrophobic cubicles was a horrible experience. The airline may anticipate flying into
space, but they need to come down to "earth" as far their regular fleets are concerned.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 1 August 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | J Hillman |
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Boston to LHR 21st July 2014. Sadly the seats are cramped with no arm rests and the pod seemed narrow, hot
and claustrophobic. To be frank, I prefer business class seats where you can lie back progressively. The
seat controls seemed to have very little impact. The seats were either totally flat or semi reclined -
consequently you have no alternative to be totally flat and "out of action" or semi-reclined - there is
nothing in between!. The staff were very attentive, but I was surprised that there was no starter with the
evening meal. The aisle was also very narrow and it was clear that too many seats "shoe horned" into the
space. Overall great staff but very disappointed with the product . We will be looking for alternatives in
the future.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 1 August 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | K McCormack |
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As a BA gold card holder and flying from Asia to uk every month, was excited at a change of scenery with
Virgin Atlantic - mistake. Virgin Upper seating was so uncomfortable, narrow and short, and I concur with
some of the other comments below: why put the small tray for drinks behind your head and under a lamp?; why
have the tv at the same height as your table?; why face everybody towards each other, with barely a space
between each row of seats? I would have sat at the bar, but the cabin crew were sat there eating crisps and
chatting after rushing lunch service through the cabin. I now appreciate all the space in BA Club World,
the extra storage space, the space to move, and the attentive personal service of BA long haul where drinks
and dinner are a relaxed affair - sometimes you need to gauge something against an alternative to realise
how good it was in the first place.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 1 August 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | M Jones |
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I flew Upper Class from Newark, NJ to London, Heathrow. As soon as I boarded I noticed there were far more
seats than on other Virgin Upper Class. My seat was in the middle row configuration which in best of
circumstances feels cramped. These seats were much narrower and shorter than those on other aircraft, such
the 747. And instead of the usual solid dividers between seats these were made of smoky plastic to give
the "illusion" of more space. But you could still see the other passengers. I mentioned all this to the
stewardess this and she conceded that this model aircraft was introduced when "economic times were tough"
and the company was trying to save on fuel. So seats were added. I've always considered Virgin Atlantic the
work horse for long haul flights; what you got for the cost of an Upper Class seat was better value than
business class seat on British airways. But the current airfare air fares for Upper Class are almost as
high as British Airways. For me Virgin Atlantic - particularly on this aircraft, seems to be losing its value.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : BOEING 747-400 |
Date | 1 August 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Gilbert Schwartz |
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MIA-LHR return in Upper Class - service by flight attendants was outstanding. However, the overall
experience was disappointing. Seats have three positions: upright, slight recline and flat bed. Upon
request, the flight attendant will reposition the seat into a bed and provide a duvet and coverlet with
pillow. The bed is satisfactory for sleeping but it is not possible to readjust to a seating position
without vacating the seat and removing the linen. The entire configuration is uncomfortable and
impractical. When the seat is configured to a flat bed, reading and watching TV is near impossible. A far
better seat would allow the passenger to readjust the bed to a comfortable recline which would permit
reading, watching TV, or eating which is the case with most other carriers. People with some limited
mobility should avoid Upper Class at all cost.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 2O July 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Ben Fisher |
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Upper Class seats from Washington DC to LHR are a complete joke. Flew out daytime Premium Economy and back
overnight Upper Class. Premium economy were very comfortable. Upper Class 'beds' are narrow and shaped like
an odd banana ie pointed at each end. I am just over 6 ft tall and not fat and the bed was short, narrow
and 'hard'. My next flight across the pond is with BA if it was with Virgin I would cancel, it was that
bad.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 3 May 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Paul Lim |
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Several flights now - London to NY and back. This new Upper Class configuration (which began around 6
months ago) is truly appalling - about 1/3 to 1/4 smaller than the previous configuration. Absolutely no
space for hand luggage because there are now so many seats in Upper Class. It is a complete joke - cattle
class at upper class prices. Much as I hate BA, I have had to start flying BA as I cannot bear the risk of
getting into another Virgin Upper Class flight in this configuration.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 15 April 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | J Hubbard |
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Gatwick to St Lucia 04/01 2014. Appalling seats. No armrests coffin like and hard. I am tall and large but
even my short and slim wife found the seating dreadful. Crew and food were good but clearly embarrassed at
cabin layout . The bar stools are a complete joke . We have supported Virgin Atlantic versus BA on this
route for 7 consecutive years (we have a home in St Lucia) but will not fly Virgin again till we here
cabins have been greatly improved.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 15 April 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | M Fenton |
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Great service and staff really can't make up for an inferior seat. The return flight from Newark to London
was on a new plane and the seat was so narrow I had to sit with my elbows up at head height draped over the
dividing walls as there was insufficient space to put them by my sides. I pulled the seat flat (a manual
process now .. Older models used to be electrically convertible) and found seat to short to lie my 6'2"
frame and I couldn't lie on side and bend knees as the seat was too narrow! I am connecting to Singapore
airlines a380 biz class which is how biz class should be. So, Virgin, great staff, great atmosphere, great
club house but absolutely hate the herring bone seats. At one stage I went into the economy cabin and
thought next trip I would go there as they look no worse! BA have proper seats so maybe I will switch.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330-300 |
Date | 2 March 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | G Lewis |
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My wife and I flew in Upper Class both ways to and from Antigua in Jan/Feb 2014. The outward journey to
Antigua was ok (just) with the service and flight entertainment being acceptable. The general cabin layout
is awful as there are too many seats squashed into this Upper Class cabin. The seating layout is nowhere
near as good as the 747 jumbo jets that we have used in the past. The return journey was terrible for me as
I could not attain a comfortable position on the converted bed - the 'pod' is definitely smaller than the
one in the 747. Within the confines of the 'pod' i found the temperature to be uncomfortable and even using
the ventilators, which took ages to set up, i felt uncomfortably hot and as a result I was not able to
sleep at all! The service on the night service return flight was not very good. I did have a problem
getting assistance with the setting up of the bed. As the attendant was about to set the bed up the
seatbelt signs came on and he told me he could not continue. What really annoyed me was that one of his
female colleagues continued to set up a bed on the other aisle whilst the sign was on. My overall
experience with the night flight was very poor and I felt that I did not receive value for money in Upper
class. I think a lot of people book Upper Class so that they can have sleep. I believe Virgin have got this
aircraft set up badly wrong. My next long haul flight will be with BA in their Business Class cabin and it
will be interesting to compare both experiences.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 2 February 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Anthony Gill |
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Barbados to LGW, Upper Class. Normally we travel VA Premium Economy but this time paid the extra to upgrade
to Upper Class hoping for a better overnight travel home. What a waste of money! Many of the passengers
laughed when they tried to get comfortable in their pods. My "flat bed" positively sloped so my head was
lower than my feet and it made me feel ill. To check I balanced a bottle of water on the "flat bed" and
several tests showed it rolling to the lower head end. No arm rest to one side. Miniscule pocket storage,
once something goes in near impossible to retrieve it. On exit I asked others what they thought of the Pods
and one comment summed it up: "designer could never have spent 9 hours sitting in it - worst experience
ever". My wife wants to go back to Premium Economy, I want to try alternative airlines!
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330-300 |
Date | 11 January 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Gerald Hopson |
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This is the first time I have flown upper class on Virgin Atlantic and unless I get a similar price (which
was cheaper than premium economy on this occasion for whatever reason) I will stick to premium . The seat
was great in the seated position as was the IFE, however the service was rushed and I was not offered
everything on the menu. I was looking forward to getting some sleep, however the seat when converted to a
bed was very confined and uncomfortable to say the least. I'm 5/10 tall so you would have thought I would
be okay, however due to the seats tapered design my feet were resting on the beds framework which was very
uncomfortable. Had I been paying full whack I would have been mortified. On the outbound flight I was
premium economy which I couldn't fault.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 11 January 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | Ed Riseman |
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Really disappointed in this new cabin lay-out and seat. The windows have now been removed from the flying
experience and the seat is cramped and restricted. I am of average height and weight but anyone wider or
taller would be very cramped. Was not able to adjust seat and overall I felt it was a step back from the
previous layout.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : BOEING 747-400 |
Date | 11 January 2014 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | E Hill |
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Refurbished 747-400. Smaller upper class cabins out of LGW than LHR. Problem with the seats are that they
are very hard and the airline will only give one duvet per customer. So I always bring my own extra duvet.
Do not choose seats in row 6 in the nozzle, you really feel an extension of your opposite neighbour. There
is not much place to store stuff around your seat for take off and landing. The beds are quite narrow and
with an extra duvet it is not that easy to loosely fasten the seat belt for sleep/turbulence. Food is good.
Bar area is more of a work space for the crew. It has only 2 bar stools for a start. So you are clearly not
meant to linger. New audio TV system VERA is not that touch reactive and can be frustrating to operate,
especially in the volume control department. Staff are friendly but some of the older members seem a little
"tired" of the job. Also, it would be nice if they could allow for some proper fresh air to pass through
the cabins in the turn around. The one I boarded in LGW smelt like the end of the previous flight, very
chemical and the area around the loos was particularly pungent. This is because it goes straight on to the
flight jetty. They could open up some of the other doors.
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VIRGIN ATLANTIC "UPPER CLASS" BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW : AIRBUS A330 |
Date | 19 August 2013 |
Cabin | Business Class |
Review by | S Steele |
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The new Upper Class seat is disappointing and on the A330, feels cramped and does not justify being called
Business Class. Twice, flight attendants accidentally knocked my foot which rested well within the
boundaries of the ottoman, without even acknowledging it. Having said that, the aisles are so very narrow
with the new seating configuration that it's easily done. Even so, if I had been working the flight I
would have apologized. The other impression I get from the service is that the overriding objective is to
get everything finished and put away as quickly (and noisily!) as possible. I can understand there are
pressures to do this but on an 8 hour flight, it's not fair or really necessary to rush everything, making
it feel like a race - especially in a premium cabin. Even the toilets were locked more than half an hour
before landing. As for comfort; I find the new seat poorly designed and less comfortable than the old one.
The so-called opaque glass partition might just as well be clear as it allows you to see right through it.
As a bed, it feels cramped and coffin-like. So, in future, if I fly Virgin it will be Premium Economy
because at least you get roughly what you pay for, with it more or less living up to what is promised.
Upper Class doesn't, I'm sorry to say.
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